Recent Headlines
Dr. Rundell to Speak at Museum of the Earth for Darwin Days
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Feb. 6, 2026 — Dr. Rebecca Rundell, associate professor in environmental biology at SUNY ESF, will give a public talk during Darwin Family Day at Ithaca’s Museum of the Earth at noon, Saturday, Feb.14. Her presentation is part of the annual Darwin Days celebration.
Darwin Day is an annual, international commemoration of the birthday and ideas of Charles Darwin, the British naturalist born Feb. 12, 1809, and author of “On the Origin of Species.”
Rundell, who is also serves as president of the American Malacological Society, studies the evolution and ecology of snails both in Central New York and on distant Pacific islands. Her talk, “Pretty and Weird Shells in Action: Wild molluscs and How They Got that Way,” will explore mollusk shells and they ways they function in real habitats.
Her presentation complements the Museum of the Earth’s featured exhibit this year: Marvelous Mollusks: the Secret World of Shells, which highlights the diversity of snails, clams, cephalopods, and related species. The exhibit includes contributions from Rundell’s conservation research on the Chittenango ovate amber snail, land snails on islands, and giant clams.
About SUNY ESF
The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technologies, and building a sustainable and resilient future through design, policy, and management of the environment and natural resources. Members of the College community share a passion for protecting the health of the planet and a deep commitment to the rigorous application of science to improve the way humans interact with the world. The College offers academic programs ranging from the associate of applied science to the Doctor of Philosophy. ESF students live, study and do research on the main campus in Syracuse, N.Y., and on 25,000 acres of field stations in a variety of ecosystems across the state.